Path to the Pete moves on to Final Four starting Monday

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, February 23, 2020 | 8:28 PM

The WPIAL basketball playoffs are at the midway point. Two rounds in the books, two rounds coming this week.

Games this week not only will decide which teams play for district gold but also which teams qualify for the PIAA playoffs.

Others will be added as the week progresses, but here are the teams that clinched a spot in the state playoffs (the number of teams that qualify from each class is in parentheses).

Boys 6A (5) — Butler, Central Catholic, Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair

Boys 5A (6) — Chartiers Valley, Laurel Highlands, Mars, Thomas Jefferson

Boys 4A (5) — Belle Vernon, Blackhawk, Highlands, New Castle

Boys 3A (7) — Aliquippa, North Catholic, Lincoln Park, South Allegheny

Boys 2A (6) — Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Shenango, Sto-Rox, Winchester Thurston

Boys A (6) — Bishop Canevin, Cornell, Nazareth Prep, Vincentian Academy

Girls 6A (5) — Bethel Park, Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, Upper St. Clair

Girls 5A (5) — Chartiers Valley, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, Woodland Hills

Girls 4A (7) — Blackhawk, Central Valley, North Catholic, Southmoreland

Girls 3A (6) — Avonworth, Beaver, Carlynton, Mohawk

Girls 2A (6) — Bishop Canevin, Ellis School, Laurel, Serra Catholic

Girls A (6) — Clairton, Rochester, Sewickley Academy, West Greene

Them again

Two of the four boys basketball Class 3A and Class A semifinals games Monday represent the third time the teams have faced off this season.

In Class 3A, top seed and defending champion Lincoln Park will play Section 1 rival Aliquippa in a semifinals matchup at North Allegheny.

The Leopards won the two regular-season meetings, 68-64 in December and 64-56 in January.

This is also a rematch of the 2016 WPIAL Class AA championship game won by the Quips, 49-45 on their way to a perfect season.

In Class A, Vincentian Academy will face Nazareth Prep, also at North Allegheny.

The Royals won the two tight Section 1 meetings by scores of 51-48 and 74-72.

The Saints, however, won 69-62, in the WPIAL Class A finals.

Only 1 chalk bracket

The WPIAL basketball steering committee put together 12 postseason brackets, and at the midway point, only one has seen the top four teams advance to the semifinals.

That bracket is the girls Class 4A playoffs, where North Catholic, Southmoreland, Central Valley and Blackhawk received first-round byes and were victorious in the quarterfinals.

On Monday, defending champion and top seed North Catholic takes on No. 4 Blackhawk. Undefeated No. 2 Southmoreland faces No. 3 Central Valley.

Tags: Aliquippa, Avonworth, Beaver, Belle Vernon, Bethel Park, Bishop Canevin, Blackhawk, Butler, Carlynton, Central Catholic, Central Valley, Chartiers Valley, Clairton, Cornell, Ellis School, Highlands, Laurel, Laurel Highlands, Lincoln Park, Mars, Mohawk, Mt. lebanon, Nazareth Prep, New Castle, North Allegheny, North Catholic, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Rochester, Serra Catholic, Sewickley Academy, Shenango, South Allegheny, Southmoreland, Sto-Rox, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, Upper St. Clair, Vincentian Academy, West Greene, Winchester Thurston, Woodland Hills